Seychelles Dive Sites by Island
Seychelles dive sites fall into two groups: granite boulder reefs and pinnacles around Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, and coral walls and channels on the far-flung outer atolls. Here is what each island offers, site by site.
The Inner Islands sit on the Mahé plateau, a shallow shelf of the Indian Ocean where most dives are between 8 and 30 metres. Visibility is often 15 to 30 metres in the calm months and lower when the wind stirs up the plateau. The Outer Islands rise from deep water hundreds of kilometres to the south-west, so the reefs drop away quickly and the fish life gets bigger.
Depths and conditions below are typical figures. Currents, swell and visibility change with the season and the tide, so your dive centre will choose the sites on the day. If you are planning which island to stay on, read this page with our Seychelles accommodations for divers guide.
Mahé dive sites
Mahé is the main island and the busiest dive base. Most centres are on the north-west coast around Beau Vallon, with a few in the south and on the east coast near Victoria. From Beau Vallon, boats reach the north-west sites in 10 to 30 minutes.
Shark Bank
A granite plateau in open water off the north-west of Mahé, with the dive typically between about 20 and 30 metres. The name comes from the sharks once seen here, but today the regulars are large marbled and blotched stingrays, eagle rays, batfish, snapper and barracuda. Whale sharks pass in some seasons. Currents can be strong, so it is usually kept for Advanced divers.
Ennerdale Wreck
The RFA Ennerdale, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker, struck an uncharted rock off Mahé in 1970 and sank. Salvage was judged impractical, and the wreck was later broken up with explosives, so it now lies in several large sections on sand at around 30 metres. Moray eels, groupers, batfish and stingrays live among the plates. It is a deep dive for experienced divers, best done with a guide and good gas planning.
Brissare Rocks, L'Ilot and the granite reefs
Brissare Rocks are granite pinnacles north-east of Mahé, covered in fire coral and busy with fusiliers, snapper and the occasional nurse shark. L'Ilot is a tiny granite islet off the north tip of the island, where boulders, swim-throughs and soft corals sit in about 8 to 22 metres and currents sweep in schools of fish. Off Beau Vallon, the Twin Barges are two small wrecks close together on the sand, a popular training and night dive.
Marine parks
Baie Ternay and Port Launay marine national parks on the north-west coast, and Ste Anne Marine National Park off Victoria, offer shallow, sheltered reefs used for courses, snorkelling and easy dives on rough days.
Praslin dive sites
Praslin, the second largest island, is about an hour north-east of Mahé by fast ferry. Its dive centres are mainly on the north coast around Anse Volbert, also called Côte d'Or. The sites are mostly granite boulder reefs around the small islands offshore, a short boat ride away, with calmer water than the open Mahé sites.
Ave Maria Rocks
A group of granite rocks in open water between Praslin and La Digue, with boulders and gullies in about 5 to 25 metres. Whitetip reef sharks, turtles, schools of snapper and plenty of reef fish make it one of the most popular dives in the area.
Booby Island and the islets
Small granite islets around Praslin, including Booby Island, give relaxed dives over boulders and coral with turtles, rays and big shoals of fish. They suit newer divers and are often the second dive of the morning.
Curieuse Marine National Park
Just off Praslin's north coast, Curieuse is known for the giant Aldabra tortoises living on the island and for the protected shallows around it. The water inside the park is mostly snorkelling depth, but it is a good surface-interval trip.
La Digue dive sites
La Digue is a short ferry ride from Praslin and is famous for the granite boulders at Anse Source d'Argent. Life on the island moves by bicycle, and diving here is low key, with a small number of centres sharing sites with Praslin.
Marianne Island
A small island east of La Digue with some of the best fish life in the Inner Islands. Grey reef sharks, whitetips, eagle rays and turtles are regular, and big schools of fusiliers and jacks swirl around the boulders. Currents can run here, so it is for confident divers.
The Sisters and Coco Island
Grande Soeur and Petite Soeur, the Sister Islands, offer granite boulder dives with soft corals and reef fish. Coco Island, a small marine park north of La Digue, is a shallow and very clear snorkelling spot that boats often combine with a dive.
Outer Islands dive sites
The Outer Islands are coral atolls and low sand cays spread across hundreds of kilometres to the south and south-west of Mahé. Most are reached by small plane to an island resort or by liveaboard, and some are closed to visitors except on permitted expeditions.
The Amirantes and Alphonse
The Amirantes group includes Desroches, whose outer reef drops into deep water, and D'Arros and St Joseph Atoll, where researchers study reef manta rays. Further south, the Alphonse group is known for clear water, healthy coral, turtles and big fish on the reef edge.
Aldabra, Astove and Cosmoledo
The far south-western atolls are among the most remote dive destinations in the Indian Ocean. Aldabra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site managed by the Seychelles Islands Foundation, home to around 100,000 giant tortoises, and visits need a permit. Astove is famous for its wall, and Cosmoledo for sharks and schooling fish. These are expedition dives, usually on a specialist liveaboard with limited dates each year.
Planning an outer island trip takes more time and money than the Inner Islands. See the season and flight notes on our Seychelles dive travel page, and ask the Seychelles dive shops on Mahé which liveaboards they recommend.
Choosing dive sites for your level
Newly certified divers will be happiest on the marine park reefs and the sheltered boulder sites around Praslin and La Digue, where depths stay under about 18 metres and the currents are gentle. Advanced divers can add Shark Bank, the Ennerdale wreck and the current-swept islands like Marianne. Nitrox is offered by many centres and helps on the deeper plateau dives.
Wherever you dive, the reefs are fragile. Keep your fins off the coral, don't touch or feed animals, and keep your distance from turtles and whale sharks. Pack the right exposure suit and an SMB with our scuba gear for the Seychelles list. Longer write-ups of single sites, starting with Shark Bank and the Ennerdale wreck, will appear on the Seychelles dive blog.
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